Tipping valves and air seal for dispensing fluid material



M. K. GILL Oct. 25, 1955 TIPPING VALVES AND. AIR SEAL FOR DISPENSING FLUID MATERIAL Filed March 3, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Melville K. Gill ATTORNEY M. K. GILL Oct. 25, 1955 TIPPING VALVES AND AIR SEAL FOR DISPENSING FLUID MATERIAL 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 5, 1954 I! I I I I I I I iiilllllll INVENTOR Melville K. Gill ATTORNEY Oct. 25, M. GILL TIPPING VALVES AND AIR SEAL FOR DISPENSING FLUID MATERIAL Filed March 3, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR Melville K. Gill BY OM BJZIQ ATTORNEY United States pateflt 1,721,678 TIPPING VALVES AND AIR SEAL FOR DISPENSING FLUID MATERIAL -Melville 'K. Gill, Clearwater, 'Fla., assignor to Tennessee .gorporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of-New ork Application'March 3, 1954, Serial No. 413,931 -2-Claims. (Cl.22 2 44 5) "The'present invention relates to alternate tipping valves for"dispensing fluid material of a granular,'pulverulent, s'emi-liquiior liquid character, and, more Particularly, to an air seal discharge valve for cyclone separators and dust collectors.

v 'Heretofore, the art has customarily made use .of a discharge conduit containing a pair of superposed chambcrs -each controlled by an individual pivoted 'bottom closure platebiased to closed position against the weight 'of-"mjaterial accumulated thereon, and .power operated toop'en in timed relationso that one is always closed while the other is open. Typical examples of su'chdevices are disclosed in U. S, Patent No. 1,4114;870 to Fisher and in US. PatentNo. "2,439,861 to Pootjes.

Prior art-devices have experienced'difiiculties in operation, such as clogging of somekinds'of material'on the closuregplates and their consequent failure to closeproperly, thus-breaking the air seal and seriously hampering -op'eration. Frequent cleaning of the closure plates is "necessary, which entails costly shut downs. Although many attempts were made to overcome the foregoing difiiculties and other disadvantages, none, as far as I ce commercially on an industrial scale.

- It has now been discovered that the difiiculties and disadvantages of prior art practice can be eliminated'by decreasingdhematerial contact area of the closure plates and by jarring the plates to prevent clogging ,of material thereon.

"An object of the present invention is to provide a tipping valve having a material discharge chamber pro- "vided with a pair of center'closing bottom plates whereby the material contact area of each plate is reduced with :Fig. 3 illustrates a side-elevation ofthe assembly taken l frorn theright of-Fig. 2; and

Figs. 4a and 4b depict schematic illustrations of cam smea'n's foractuating the closure plates in timed sequence, f tlie former figure showing in full-lines the upper carn sarm at the point of engagement with the tripcarn andin dotted lines at the poi'nt'of disengagement and the latter figure showing in full lines the lower cam arm at the point ofsengagement with-the trip eanr'and in dotted lines at the point of disengagement.

Broadly stated, the present invention contemplates al- -ternate tipping valves embodied in a casing forii'eady attachment to the bottom of a cyclone separator'or the like and-constituting a disgharge conduit therefor. The ;as i g1hQu.$$ a plur lity of supe pcsed, vertically-Spaced p n-aware, was entirely successful whencarried into'prac- 2,72 1,6 78 Patented Oct- 25, 1955 hoppers each'norrnally closed at'itsbotto'm by a pair of oppositely 'acting closure plates which meet at the center of the hopper mouth in close contact to provide a seal against 'thefpa ssage of air. The plates are biased to closed-position, and the r'espective'pairs'are mechanically opened in timed sequence such that one 'pair is always opened and fully closed before the neXtlOWer pair begins to open. When closing, the respective pairs of plates meet in a forcible self-jarring contact of suflicient "ma nitude o preve c ogg g of m ter l h r onl'nZc'arrying the present invention into practice, it is preferred to provide the niaterial discharge conduit asa casing 5 of rectangular crosssection having" at its upper end an inlet comprising a tubular neck 6 flanged for ice ready attachment to the bott'om'bfjacyclone separator or o'thersource of material supply, not shown, and at its lower end a tubular outlet 7 ct i'ce itric tothe inlet. The neckf6 extends downwardly within the casing-to provide therein a hopper 8 normally closed at its bottom "by a pair'of"opposi tely and downwardly inclined closure plates-9 that very closely approach the .coinplemental edge .of the'hopper mouth and ineetattheir inner ends transversely ofthecasi'ng acrossthe center of the mouth in alight straight edge contact toprovide a seal against *thepassageof air. 'Itis to'b'e observedthat there is a "slight clearance between the valve plates and the bottom of flthe hopper. The valve plates must never seat or make con'tact directly'on the bottom edges of the hopper mouth. Suchsfeating or contacting is prevented'by the fmeetin'gerigagement of the inner ends'of the plates. As

may be observed from Fig. 1, these plates are larger than the openingormouthof the'hopper'and form an "overhang to :seal and prevent"spillage through the slight "clearance. The outerend of each plate is secured for oscillation and forrocking through an angle constituting a 'yerticalarc .by Inea'nsof a shaft '10 journaled through the wallsof the casing and extending'outwardly thereof,

and the plate is biased to closed position by a counterweight 111 adjustable along an arrn 12 secured forioscillation t'o rockthrough an angle constituting a vertical arc with therear end of the shaft. 9

"A second hopper '13" isfixedin the casing well below the hopper 8 andin vertical registry therewith to receive "material dropped-therefrom when the closure plates 9 {are opened. This lower hOPPeris normally closed atits bottom'bya pair of-oppositely and downwardly inclined "closure plates 14 identical to the plates 9 and similarly -mounted. The plates 14 very closely approach the complemental'edge of the mouthoft hehopper 13'leaving a slight clearance but 'rneetat-theirinner ends transversely of thecasing acrossthecenter of the hopper mouth in a -tight-'straight ed'ge contactto provide a seal against'the passage of air. 'The outer end of'each plate is secured for-oscillationand forrockingthroughan angle constitutin-g a vertical arcby means of ashaft 15 journaled through the wallsfofthe casing and extending outwardly thereof,

with the plate biased to closed position by a counter- 'Weight' IG adjustable-along an arm '17 secured for oscillation and for' r'ocking through an angle constituting a vertical arc with the rear end of the shaft. Material k1ropped=fromthe hopperIS-When-the plates 14 are opened "discharges through the casing outlet 7.

:The respective-pairs of valve plates 9and'1'4are opened and'closed'- in timed-sequence by mechanical rneans'com- -'prising-adriveh gear-or pulley-18 fixedfor rotation with ithe rearwardly projeete'd end of a shaft 19 thatis journaled through the casing walls and extends outwardly thereof parallel to and intermediate a vertically aligned 'pair of the plate shafts 10 and 15. The shaft 19 has itsaxis in the v'ertical plane "of the adjacent shafts IO -a'nd 15 and carries -a spungear 20 fixed for rotation with its fro'nt ,-:end;iportion. Thisgear 20 is in constantmesh with-an identical gear 21 fixed for rotation with the front end portion of a shaft 22 that parallels the shaft 19 with its axis disposed in the vertical plane of the other pair of vertically aligned shafts and and intermediate the same. The shaft 22 also is journaled through the casing walls.

A cam arm 23 is fixed for oscillation and for rocking through a vertical arc with the front end on each upper valve plate shaft 10 and an identical but oppositely directed cam arm 24 is fixed for oscillation and for rocking through a vertical arc with the front end on each lower valve plate shaft 15. A revolving trip cam 25 is fixed for rotation with the front end on each of the shafts 19 and 22 for cooperative driving engagement with the earns 23 and 24 to actuate the upper and lower sets of valve plates alternately in a timed sequence and frequency determined by the speed of rotation of the spur gears and 21. The cams normally are set to occupy the positions shown in Fig. 2 when both sets of upper and lower valve plates are fully closed.

In operation, the trip cams 25 revolve oppositely in the directions indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2. During the first half of their cycle they engage the cam arms 23 to rock the shafts 10 through an angle constituting a vertical arc and thereby move the upper plates 9 apart to fully opened position in which they move to and through the vertical against the bias of their counterweights. When the trip earns 25 free the arms 23 the plates swing quickly back to closed position and come together with a considerable force that jars the plates and effectively dislodges any material clogged thereon so that it collects in the apex of the V formed by the plates for discharge when they are next opened. This opening and closing of the upper plates 9 is completed before the trip cams engage the cam arms 24 to open and permit closing of the lower plates 14 in the same manner during the second half of their cycle. The engagement and disengagement of the upper cam arm 23 and the trip cam 25 is illustrated in Fig. 4a, whereas the engagement and disengagement of the lower cam arm with the trip cam is illustrated in Fig. 4b.

The self-jarring action of the dual valve plates in closing is an important feature of the present invention and a marked departure from prior art practice in which a single plate closes in full face contact against the bottom edge of a hopper mouth. A prior single valve plate seats with very little, if any, jarring, whereas in the present invention the two closure plates contact each other and do not seat directly against the edge of the hopper mouth but provide a slight clearance. jarring force is retained in the plates themselves and is not dissipated in the hopper. Another departure from prior art practice and a decided advantage thereover is the use of two closure plates which part in the center to open instead of a single plate which opens from one side. 4

The employment of two plates as herein disclosed permits a shorter opening and closing cycle resulting in a more uniform flow of material. Furthermore, no material can build up on the plates. Clogging is prevented by the rapid and jolting opening and closing action of the plates, their vertical position when discharging, and the shorter contact surfaces over which the material travels in discharging.

Although the present invention has been described in conjunction with preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that modifications and variations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as those skilled in the art will readily understand. Such modifications and variations are considered to be within the purview and scope of the invention and appended claims.

I claim:

1. An altetrnate tipping valve assembly comprising a vertically disposed casing constituting a conduit, a hopper located in the upper end of the casing and constituting a As a result, the full material inlet therefor, a material outlet in the casing bottom, a second hopper in the casing spaced below the upper end hopper to receive material discharged therefrom, said second hopper discharging to the casing outlet, a pair of downwardly and oppositely inclined valve plates mounted for rocking through a vertical arc at the bottom of each hopper and controlling material discharge therefrom, the individual plates of each pair meeting each other in tight closing contact centrally across the bottom of their respective hopper and sealing the same against passage of air therethrough when in closed position, a supporting shaft individual to each of said valve plates journaled through the casing walls and extending outwardly thereof, each plate having a fixed connection for rocking through an angle with its shaft, counterweight means on an end of each plate shaft and biasing its plate to closed position, a gear shaft journaled through the casing walls intermediate and in vertical alignment with each vertical pair of the plate shafts, a pair of meshed spur gears one fixed on each gear shaft for rotation therewith, a power transmitting element keyed on one of the gear shafts, a cam arm fixed on the other end of each one of said plate shafts for rocking therewith, and a trip cam fixed on each one of said gear shafts rotative therewith for alternate actuating engagement with the cam arms of its associated vertically aligned pair of the plate shafts whereby during each revolution of the trip earns the valve plates for each hopper are moved to fully open position and then closed in self-jarring contact in sequence at a predetermined frequency and speed.

2. An alternate tipping valve assembly of non-clogging character comprising a vertically disposed casing constituting a conduit, a hopper located in the upper end of the casing and constituting a material inlet therefor, a material outlet in the casing bottom, a second hopper in the casing spaced below the uper end hopper to receive material discharged therefrom, said second hopper discharging to the casing outlet, a pair of downwardly and oppositely inclined valve plates mounted for rocking through a vertical are at the bottom of each hopper and controlling material discharge therefrom, the individual plates of each pair meeting each other in tight closing contact centrally across the bottom of their respective hopper and sealing the same against passage of air therethrough when in closed position, a slight clearance pro vided between said valve plates and the bottom of each hopper, an overhang on each of said plates to seal and to prevent spillage through said clearance, a supporting shaft individual to each of said valve plates journaled through the casing walls and extending outwardly thereof, each plate having a fixed connection for rocking through an angle with its shaft, counterweight means on an end of each plate shaft and biasing its plate to closed position, a gear shaft journaled through the casing walls intermediate and in vertical alignment with each vertical pair of the plate shafts, a pair of meshed spur gears one fixed on each gear shaft for rotation therewith, a power transmitting element keyed on one of the gear shafts, a cam arm fixed on the other end of each one of said plate shafts for rocking therewith, and a trip cam fixed on each one of said gear shafts rotative therewith for alternate actuating engagement with the cam arms of its associated vertically aligned pair of the plate shafts whereby during each revolution of the trip cams the valve plates for each hopper are moved to fully open position and then closed in self-jarring contact in sequence at a predetermined frequnecy and speed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 428,731 Singer May 27, 1890 1,612,590 Lucka et a1 Dec. 28, 1926 2,501,743 Schellentrager Mar. 28, 1950 2,636,648 Richardson Apr. 28, 1953 

